1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to a persistent authenticating system and method to map real world object presence into virtual world object awareness.
2. Description of Related Art
The ability to scan objects for a particular identification signature of the object is generally known in the art. For example, the use of barcodes, dot codes, radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags, and the like, to provide an identification of an object associated with these scannable identifier devices is generally known in the art. The use of such devices, such as the RFID tags, is only expected to increase in the near future.
One application of scannable identification devices is the use of dot codes on scannable trading cards. For example, the use of dot codes is represented by the E-READER™ plug-in device for the Nintendo GameBoy™ portable gaming system. With the E-READER™, dot codes may be provided on trading cards that, when scanned by the E-READER™ plug-in device unlock special features in software including mini-games, card statistics and data, special items, and the like. Once the trading card is scanned, the special features are unlocked and the trading card need not be present for the unlocked features to be utilized. In fact, the E-READER™ and GameBoy™ system may be turned off and the unlocked features may again be accessed when the system is turned back on due to a storage in the E-READER™ device.
While the trading cards and the E-READER™ device provide a mechanism for unlocking features of computer software, the unlocked features do not represent real-world items that are present at the location of the E-READER™ device. Moreover, the unlocked features do not represent how to use such a real-world item, how the real-world item's usage is persisted, or the like, so that the real-world item may be accurately modeled and integrated into the computer software. To the contrary, the trading cards used with the E-READER™ device merely serve as a recordable medium upon which the dot-codes are recorded so that they may be read by the E-READER™ device.